EIT Health has produced an important read for policy-makers, partners and start-ups. Called “Implementing the European Health Data Space across Europe”. This detailed report leverages the insights of members of EIT’s network, its Think Tank, and an accompanying sounding-board. Published in April 2024, the report’s observations can help to unblock the future path to implementation of the EHDS.
Source: Reproduction of the front cover of the EIT Health Think Tank April 2024 report, "Implementing the European Health Data Space across Europe"
The report came about as the result of a series of roundtable discussions held by EIT Health across Europe. The activities brought together experts from across the initiative’s large and diverse network.
The report findings may prove to be particularly interesting for EHTEL implementers. It is complementary to an earlier report on the achievement of the Digital Decade e-Health indicators published late in 2023.
What are the report’s contents?
The 100+ page report reveals the hurdles and solutions across six crucial implementation dimensions related to the EHDS: governance; capacity and skills; resources and funding; data quality; the relationship between primary and secondary data; and awareness, education, and communication/the creation of a data-driven culture in healthcare.
The report offers practical recommendations for the actors who will be leading the transformation implicit in the EHDS at local, national, and European Union levels, in order to ensure a harmonised and inclusive European approach.
The report cites various examples from regions, Member States, and organisations about what is already happening, and draws attention to a number of gaps.
Publication of the EHDS Regulation and turning the vision into reality
The EHDS draft Regulation is expected to be published officially in late 2024. A brief understanding of the timelines needed to implement the data space, once it is in force, is useful.
Once the legislation is in effect, key actors will have a vital role to play in implementing the regulation and in making its bold vision a reality. Actors will include policy makers, health data access bodies, healthcare service providers, health institutions, higher education providers, patient organisations, and the digital medical devices industry.
The EHDS is a high-stakes development with transformative potential. Yet its benefits for patients, partners and innovators can only be achieved if the healthcare ecosystem is empowered to implement it effectively.
To empower those leading the transformation implicit in the EHDS, EIT Health’s Think Tank report, “Implementing the European Health Data Space across Europe” pinpoints specific challenges key actors may face in implementing the data space and makes recommendations as to how these can be overcome.
This must-read report reveals EIT Health ecosystem’s insights into how the vision for this vital legislation can be made into a reality.
Read the full report, a series of factsheets, and some highlights
Are you particularly interested in specific facts about the six dimensions, like capacity and skills or awareness, education, and communication/the building of a data-driven culture? EIT Health has produced a series of factsheets on each of the six implementation dimensions.
The EIT Health has selected its own six highlights relating to the report findings.
EIT Health is also promoting four projects that it has supported over the years on e.g., data collection, electronic health records, and registries and biobanks. Their developments may help to strengthen work on the EHDS.
The 100+ page report can be read in detail here.
What EHTEL is itself planning
On its own 2024 agenda, EHTEL has plans for a European Health Data Space Task Force. The association will provide a mix of public activities and members-only activities around a variety of implementation aspects of the European Health Data Space. More news on this activity soon: it will create special opportunities on the EHDS for EHTEL members.
For more info:
- See what EHTEL did in the run-up to European Health Data Space discussions in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
- European Health Data Space Regulation: A brief overview of timelines